More than a year ago, I got my main boss and a few other people addicted to cupcakes from a cupcake “truck” called CupKates. I would often see the CupKates truck on my lunch break when I was walking up/down California Street. When I bought one for myself, I occasionally bought one for my boss as well. He raved about them – the great flavor and their moistness. Their regular flavors are Double Chocolate, Double Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Red Velvet, Tiramisu and S’Mores. Of those, the only one I do NOT like is the Double Vanilla. I’m also just ok with the S’Mores. Nearly everyone likes the Double Chocolate the best. What was surprising is that, although my boss is from the Midwest like me, he’d never had Red Velvet before. Isn’t that mainly popular in the South and the Midwest? Either way, another co-worker and I talked him into trying one. His reception was lukewarm; he’s never ordered another. Don’t be put off by that, however. I’ve had a long history with Red Velvet and the one from CupKates is very good. Every week they offer special flavors as well. These can be Lemon-Blueberry, Caramel Apple, Mocha, Guinness Chocolate, Spicy Mexican Chocolate, Coconut Cream, Mango, etc. My favorite by a mile is the Spicy Mexican Chocolate, followed closely by the Coconut Cream. CupKates parks their truck in the Financial District for a few hours 3 days a week. We’ve dubbed Thursdays as CupKates Thursday because that’s the day the truck is parked closest to our office; the day we tend to indulge. You can check out the website at www.cupkatesbakery.com. We also follow CupKates on Twitter for UP-TO-THE-MINUTE news, to get advance notice of any special flavors or in case the truck will be late or, the horror, not show up that day!
Occasionally, I stop in at Chantal Guillon on Hayes Street in Hayes Valley for macarons, those little French meringue-based confections. It’s the same story, I bought maybe a half dozen once and shared two of them with my main boss. He’d had macarons before and had even said that the ones from Trader Joe’s weren’t half bad. These, however, knocked his socks off. Ever since, he’d mentioned to me that we’d drive to Hayes Street in his car one afternoon to get more. Yesterday was the big day. He, my other main boss (another attorney, but female) and I squished into his truck and headed off to Hayes Street. Since he was concerned that they might sell out (I assured him that, due to the cost, it was doubtful), he wanted to be there shortly after opening. They opened at 11:00 a.m. and we were there by 11:10 a.m., even managing to find a parking spot directly across the street, which is a feat in itself. All 3 of us opted for a dozen apiece, even at the price of $21/dozen. I passed on the Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Salted Caramel, Italian Pistachio, Mojito, Passionfruit, Red Velvet and Pina Colada flavors. My choices were 2 each of the Green Tea, Persian Rose, Raspberry-Lychee, Apricot, Orange Blossom-Strawberry and Cassis Violette. Back in the office, I shared a few of mine; one woman tried the Apricot, one man tried the Green Tea and another man tried the Orange Blossom-Strawberry. The man who tried the Orange Blossom-Strawberry had never had a macaron before, but was amazed; said the flavors were intense and the textures were softer than he expected from the appearance. My male boss was saving his for a bocce ball tournament with a “bunch of old Italian guys,” while my female boss didn’t think hers would make it home to her husband (though he’d already begged her via phone to save some for him). There’s now a high possibility that Fridays may become Macaron Friday! There are still 5 left of mine, which I simply MUST eat today. They won’t be good tomorrow! If you’re in San Francisco, stop by her store or look at her website, www.chantalguillon.com. Chantal Guillon also has a nice selection of Mariage Freres tea, as well as Italian bacetti.
Next on my dessert pushing plan is to try out the Creme Brulee Cart and get everyone hooked on that!
Display at Chantal Guillon
Macarons from Chantal Guillon